"What Is Love" is the debut single by Trinidadian-German Eurodance singer Haddaway from his debut album, The Album (1993). The song was released in 1993 and was a hit in Europe, becoming a number-one hit in at least 13 countries and reaching number two in Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Outside Europe, the single was a hit worldwide, reaching number 11 in the United States, number 12 in Australia, number 17 in Canada, and number 48 in New Zealand. The song earned Haddaway two awards at the German 1994 Echo Award, in the categories "Best National Single" and "Best National Dance Single". Its music video was directed by Volker Hannwacker.
"We just used ideas that were fresh at that time and tried to make something that nobody else had [...] The song came really fast. I had the idea for the melodies in about 45 minutes and the total structure of the song was done in a day and a half."
"What Is Love" was written and produced by German music producer and composer Dee Dee Halligan (Dieter Lünstedt a.k.a. Tony Hendrik) and his partner/wife Junior Torello (Karin Hartmann-Eisenblätter a.k.a. Karin van Haaren) of Coconut Records in Hennef (Sieg) near Cologne. They had previously produced songs for successful groups like Bad Boys Blue and Londonbeat, and were waiting for the right singer for their new song. Trinidadian-born singer Nestor Alexander Haddaway was then chosen to sing it. He used to work as a producer, dancer and choreographer before he was signed to the label.[6] The producers wanted Haddaway to try singing the song like Joe Cocker. He told them, "I love Joe Cocker, but I'm no Joe Cocker." He then came up with his own idea on how to sing it and after the producers let the singer try it his way, "What Is Love" was created. Hendrik would lock himself in the studio, and eight or nine days later he came out with the song as we know it.[7]
The female vocal on the track, meanwhile, was a stock sample released on the Zero-G sample compilation CD "Datafile 1" (tracks 62-64), which was produced in 1991 by Zero-G co-founder and Jack 'N' Chill member Ed Stratton, aka Man Machine, and was aimed at dance producers, DJs, programmers and artists.[8]
"What Is Love" reached number one in 13 countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Zimbabwe. In Sweden, Germany and the United Kingdom, it peaked at number two. In the latter, the song reached that position on the UK Singles Chart in its fifth week on the chart, on 27 June 1993.[9] Additionally, "What Is Love" was a number three hit in Iceland, and it made it to the top spot also on the Eurochart Hot 100. Debuting at number 87 on 28 August 1993, the song reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. But on the US Cash Box Top 100, it reached number nine. The song also peaked at number 12 in Australia. By March 1994, worldwide sales of "What Is Love" had already reached 2.6 million.[10]